


Mechanical Head, Electric Heart

by sundayrice



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Can be platonic or romantic, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, among other things, luna teaches prompto how to button up a shirt, maybe a bit of humor too who knows
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2018-10-09 17:44:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10417725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sundayrice/pseuds/sundayrice
Summary: On Lunafreya's nineteenth birthday, she receives an unusual gift from Imperial Chancellor Ardyn Izunia.Prompto is a combat android created by Niflheim and sent to Lady Lunafreya to protect her. While Luna's initially wary of him, the two become odd but fast friends. And Prompto – Prompto's learning to adjust to life outside of Niflheim and deal with all sorts of emotions he never knew he had.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe it was a really bad idea to start writing this when I already have another FFXV fic I want to write. Anyways have some nice Promluna friendship/romance. This is probably a really unoriginal au but I live for the "robot learns to be human" trope okay.
> 
>  **EDIT (21/05/18)** : minor changes but this fic is now written in present tense, rather than past tense because of new preferences I have for fic writing.

There are always times when the - former she must constantly remind herself - princess of Tenebrae wishes she could cast everything away and act only on her selfish little whims. Today just happens to be one of those times.

Lunafreya had expected a more joyous occasion for her nineteenth birthday. The winds blow cold around this time of year, with booming thunder that sends Pryna running in a panic. Luna faces the window and pushes the silk curtains aside, revealing a howling rainstorm outside and a gloomy gray that coats the sky. Luna worries deeply for Ravus and wonders if he truly would be home on time like he had promised.

It was a rare occasion for Ravus to return home, even if it is just for a delivery. When Luna thinks of him, he feels more like a stranger than a man who shared her same blood. For the past year, Ravus had spent a considerable amount of time in Gralea alongside the Imperial chancellor Ardyn Izunia and their head researcher, Chief Verstael Besithia. Luna had only ever seen both men once in her life when she was twelve years old and in Zegnautus Keep. Now, she hardly remembers either of their faces. Or, she hardly wants to remember either of their faces.

As Ravus continues to drift further from Luna's grasp, she finds joy in the company of her handmaidens. In the early morning, a few hand stop by to send her wishes of good health and, while Luna reciprocated with an open smile and friendly eyes, it wasn't quite enough to take her mind off of Ravus's absence. Of all the lavish gifts of gold she had received from her handmaidens, there's nothing that quite scratchs that itch she has. And of all the praise she had received from the media about her noble exploits in Tenebrae, it falls on her own unattentive ears.

Through the violent howl of the storm, Luna hopes that at least one of the blurred shapes she sees is a Niflheim brand of vehicle. As she sits, she keeps her posture tall and taps her feet against a woven tapestry, displacing it ever so slightly. Every little sound manages to excite, or perhaps worry her, and she refuses to keep herself still. Unladylike perhaps, but Luna couldn't care less when it comes to matters involving Ravus and his return home.

A steady knock echoes through the manor. Luna jumps to her feet, bundling the skirt of her dress in her hands, and bolts down the staircase. Just in front of the front door, she takes a second and inhales. Inhales then exhales. Inhales then exhales.

She twists the handle and flings the door open with a bit more force than she anticipated. There, her brother stood in front of her, just as she had hoped. A few strands of his silvery hair covers his face. His callous face, however, looks nothing as she had hoped. His posture stands rigid and his eyes narrow with a furrowed brow.

"Lunafreya."

"Ravus."

Their voices echo back at them through the foyer. Perhaps it is for the best that the two leave it at that, though Luna at least wanted so much as a 'happy birthday' or 'congratulations, sister' from Ravus. Luna lifts her right arm to reach for a hug but quickly lowers it as she spots a familiar burgundy-haired man standing behind Ravus. Another, more elderly man trails close behind him.

That dreadful man, Luna thinks to herself. Of course, he had to be here.

The burgundy-haired man, Ardyn Izunia, dances playfully around the room with his steps and hops, mirroring those of an erratic child. His mouth gapes open in awe, which causes Luna to roll her eyes.

"My, my, what an honor it is to see the birthday girl herself," Ardyn muses. "We come bearing great gifts for the Oracle. I do hope you find a good use for it."

The older of the two men, who Luna presumed was Chief Verstael Besithia, proceeds through the doorway with a shorter figure following close behind him.

Luna isn't quite sure who, or what, the shorter figure is. The older man wordlessly gestures for the figure to sit and the figure, who appeared to be a boy similar to Noctis's age, quickly follows suit. This boy sits with a perfect posture, and his eyes begin juggling around the foyer from one painting to the next.

Ardyn places one hand on her shoulder. "Being the Oracle is certainly a heavy burden on one's heart, wouldn't you agree Lady Lunafreya?" Before Luna can comment on the strange boy, Ardyn continues on with a whimsical smile. "We've brought this in order to protect you, one of Besithia's finest combat androids and recent development in Niflheim. You've the honor of being the first to try it, dearest princess."

The words fall slick off of Ardyn's tongue and with the same insincerity as always. Luna's lips purse. There is a steel sword twisting about in her gut; one that is leaving stinging pain and discomfort inside her. Deep down Luna screams at herself to protest, to slap him silly and to tell him to go away. Instead, she flashes Ardyn a stiff smile.

"I do hope you enjoy your little gift, Lady Lunafreya," the man's oily voice sends shivers down Luna's spine. "I'm sure it will prove to be amusing for you. It's a shame this was such a short visit, but, if you will excuse us for now."

Ardyn bows and pushs the tip of his hat up with his thumb. The tall man then proceeds to escort himself out of the front door with his long coat dragging low. Verstael mimicks Ardyn, bowing to Luna without much emotion. Without a single word.

"We've worked quite hard on this project. Take good care," Ravus says, shoving a small box into Luna's hands. A brief look down showed that the package said 'food' in block letters that were very bold and ominous-looking. As Ravus exits, his eyes lock with Luna's and he mouths an empty goodbye. Luna reachs forward, though no words escape her lips.

The front door slams shut. A chilly wind that crept in from outside stirs about in the foyer, pushing Luna's white skirt inches off the floor. As time ticks away, she gazes at who was sitting in front of her.

Luna doesn't move a muscle. She takes a minute to stare at the pale and slender boy. His hair is a golden blond and his eyes are a blue similar to Luna's own. His face is pale as ivory and scarily human-looking. Though, from the neck down, it is obvious that he is anything but human. The black pea coat he wears does little to hide his artificial body. Luna sees little metallic pivots that connect the joints of his arms and legs together. The boy isn't breathing, based on the way he manages to keep a perfect stillness in his seat; he refuses to even blink.

"Hello?" Luna says, tapping him on the shoulder.

The boy jerks his head towards Luna and she recoils her hand.

"Hello," he replies in a monotonous voice. "you're Lady Lunafreya, right?"

"Yes," Luna hesitates to make conversation with this strange boy, to say the least. "and you are?"

The boy sits still and keeps his lips shut tight.

"Your name?" Luna tried carefully not to make him feel uncomfortable or pressured. She kept a gentle smile on her face.

"Oh, yeah, um," the boy stammers. "You can call me Unit 05953234." He lifts his right arm and reveals a barcode on his wrist.

Unsatisfactory, Luna thinks. Of course, they had only allocated him a number and not a name.

"Do you not have a name?" Luna replied with a soft tone of voice.

Again, the boy's lips shut tight but that alone was enough to tell Luna that the answer was 'no'.

"Well, it's alright, I'll think of one for you later," Luna giggles to herself. For now, she had relegated the boy to being called 'Silver', on account of his gray, metallic body. Luna thought it a bit embarrassing so she decided to keep the nickname to herself. She'll think of a better name later.

A long silence hangs in the air. He produces a small booklet from the pocket of his pea coat.

"Read this if you have any questions," he tilts his head back down as he traces his feet in circles along the floor. Luna simply nods and takes the book gently in one hand. "It's all about the technical stuff and all that. I don't need food or anything to function, just magic is enough. Most of the time, I'll shut off on my own when night falls, but you can do it manually too, uh, if you want."

He continues to ramble on about all sorts of details that Luna has no time to wrap her head around. She tilts her head down at the booklet's front page.

**MAGITEK COMBAT UNIT OPERATION MANUEL**

_A comprehensive guide to Generation 04000000 or later Magitek Combat Units and how to organize their functions and A.I. network._

Luna slams the booklet shut, causing the boy to flinch, and tosses it on the floor without much care.

He proceeds to close his mouth and waits for Luna to answer. Luna observes the way he carries himself, and though he sits tall, with open shoulders, he seems to be doing so out of formalities and not out of confidence. As his eyes hangs low and his neck tilts downwards, he gave off a distinct air of melancholy. The boy will not speak out of turn, and so long as Luna has not spoken first, he too will keep to himself. So, as long as Luna stays quiet, he will stay quiet as well.

"Let me help you with this," to prevent the awkwardness from lingering any longer, Luna grabs the boy's pea coat near the collar and tries to slip it off, causing him to flinch once more.

"Ah, sorry," the boy replies, still keeping with a monotonous voice. "I just don't like when people touch me, is all."

Luna shakes her head and pays it no mind, taking the coat and hanging it on the banister of the staircase. The two spend the next minute doing nothing but thumb-twiddling and blank staring, which makes Luna's stomach to flutter. Luna searches her mind desperately for something, anything, that she could entertain this boy with.

"Are you comfortable not, um, wearing anything?" Luna gulps. "I just noticed you don't have anything under your coat."

The boy tilts his head once again and flashes her a confused look. "Clothes are more of a human thing, I guess," as he spoke, he rubbed this thumb against his right wrist. "It's not really my place to be worrying about that kind of thing."

"Well, there's a room of old clothes Ravus has no use for," Luna hummed. "I'm certain they'll suit you quite nicely."

"Please, I can't-" but before he could finish, Luna was already out of her seat and in a rush to get upstairs. She took him by the wrist and pulled him upwards and skipped towards the staircase.

The second floor of the manor is where most of the handmaidens and Luna slept, with Luna's room sitting at the end of the hallway. When Luna turns towards him, he has the faintest bit of sparkle in his eyes, unlike anything she had ever seen before. His eyes lock with the chandelier, an elegant gold centerpiece with priceless diamonds strung from it. Personally, Luna has always felt the hallway was too ornate, too stuffy for here tastes, and suffered through her mother's endless yelling when she had tried to paint her bedroom door in a vibrant red and Ravus's in sapphire blue. Luna giggles, somber as the memories are, and covers her mouth before he can hear anything.

"Down the hallway and second last door on the left. It was Ravus's old room," Luna lets herself get a bit carried away, playfully dancing about like a child; it was just as she had done with Noctis in their younger years as they bounced about during the festival of the Astrals. Like the elegant sway of Shiva, free of any reservations or shame.

Luna flings the door open in her childish frenzy and he does not step foot in until Luna had walked in first. It is a humble old room and most of the walls and furniture are coated in a fine white. While the boy keeps his body closed off, Luna explores around Ravus's old wardrobe for anything she could find in his size. On the dusty bed sheets, she tosses down a patterned button-up with a white blazer and darker pants to match.

"A suitable white dress for a young man of House Fleuret," Luna teases. She thrusts the outfit up against his chest and waited expectantly.

"Please, I can't-" but Luna's eyes are not satisfied with his answer and her smile begins to press into a frown.

"While you are here, there is no 'can' and 'can't', only 'will' and 'won't'," Luna huffs. "You're free to do anything you please, though you are also free to refuse anything you please. There's no one here who's going to tell you that you 'can't' do something. So, will you or won't you?"

He smiles faintly and Luna catches it just before it fades away. Methodically, he removes the clothing from the hangers and slides them on. He fiddles around with the buttons. Luckily, he manages to thread one button through but it doesn't align correctly and the nicely ironed shirt sits lopsided on his body.

Luna giggles, hoping he doesn't here her. He'll learn in due time.

"You do it like this," Luna says as she grasps the shirt a bit too suddenly for him and begins to work her way from top to bottom. Luna continues her work and helps him slip on his pants, buckling a belt around them for good measure. As he puts on the blazer, it compliments his hair nicely, Luna thinks. She giggles. How dashing this android is, Luna thinks. She pats herself on the back with pride. "Make sure the buttons are lined up correctly. Next time, you'll be able to do it without my aid."

"Yeah – er, of course – Lady Lunafreya," he says.

"Please, just call me Luna," Luna says.

"Alright, um, Lady Luna,"

"No 'Lady' either, just Luna,"

"Luna," the boy repeats to himself. "Luna, Luna, Luna."

Luna coughs and gestures for him to exit the room. What next? What next can she show him around the manor? Will he ever feel comfortable around here? Luna can only hope as much.

Out from one of the open bedroom doors, Umbra rushes out to greet Luna, with Pryna following quickly behind him. The two dogs pepper his feet with licks and kisses. Umbra first began to sniff at him and the two dogs started whining in his presence. Luna lifts Pryna in her arms and nuzzled up close to her before Luna cocked her head to a window on the second floor, unveiling a cloudless sky were the rain clouds once were. The hallway's chandelier started to sparkle in the growing daylight. He stares, refusing to voice his intrigue, but Luna recognizes it was there all the same.

"Well, it seems the storm's lightened up a bit. Shall we take Umbra and Pryna outside?" Luna says, gesturing to the two dogs that nipped at her slippers. He stays quiet and nods. To him – Luna can quite easily tell – her words are not offerings, but simply orders.

Luna wants him to walk in front of her, but he waits ever so patiently for her to retrieve her sun hat before following closely behind. In front of the two, a wall made mostly of spotless glass has a pair of sliding doors that are easy to miss. Beyond sits a charming garden, well kept over the years. Luna keeps the bright sylleblossoms, her favorite, near the entrance for all to see. For the second time this day, his eyes light up with wild excitement, though Luna can't personally see what was so vivid about her flower collection. Is it truly such a spectacle to an outsider such as him? Surely, flowers are always a lovely sight. And so many other things today appear to be new and fresh to the boy.

Luna's heart sinks into her stomach. She needs to make this boy feel at home and welcome where she had always been.

Umbra and Pryna dash around the garden and Umbra barks at him, presumably urging him to join in. As the boy runs around the garden, chasing around Umbra and Pryna, a smile lit up on his face. Luna stood afar, holding down her sun hat, as the three bounced around in a rush of excitement. This 'silver' boy that ran around, quick as a bullet, with a dazzling smile that Luna hoped would never fade for as long as he was with her.

"Ah, I've got it!" Luna gasps, clapping her hands together.

"What?" the boy freezes in place, carrying a squirming Umbra in his arms and Pryna, who scratches at his metal legs.

"I've got the perfect name for you," Luna says. "It's Prompto. Prompto Argentum."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned for a plotless Promluna fluff fic, but now I'm honestly not sure. I'm writing future chapters and _oh boy_ it's more plot than I paid for.
> 
> Unbeta-ed so tell me if you spot any spelling mistakes and other things!

Luna fidgets; she checks her fingernails every minute or so, she taps her heels against each other, she twirls her silvery-blonde hair around her pinky finger. And so on. Needless to say, she's getting rather impatient, even if it goes against her usual nature. Prompto was supposed to be around here by nine o'clock and Luna, being the punctual person that she is, is a bit worried when the clock strikes half past nine and Prompto is nowhere to be seen.

It was their second day together and she's already having to baby him.

Now, Luna found herself in the middle of a heated search for the missing boy. Up and down the manor, every nook and cranny she can think of. She had told him to sleep in the room to the left of one of her most trusted handmaidens, so she can keep an eye on him. Of course, as Luna comes around to that very same room, Prompto is nowhere to be seen. _In one ear and out the other,_ Luna thinks.

There aren't any other rooms that he would be sleeping in. He definitely isn't sleeping in the foyer or the garden, or else Luna would have already seen him earlier this morning. And it doesn't seem to be Prompto's nature to barge into one of the handmaiden's rooms unprecedented. There were no other rooms he could possibly be in. _Except that one._

Luna tip-toes closer to the door and opens it as slowly as she can. Hardly effective, but worth the try. Just as she had suspected, Prompto must've crashed to sleep in Ravus's room. The wardrobe lays half-open and a few hangers and shirts are tangled about on the floor in a messy display of metal and silk. Luna twists her feet around in an uncomfortable manner to avoid stepping on anything. Prompto himself hasn't fallen asleep on Ravus's bed, which was currently filled with even more wrinkled clothing, but instead is clocked out with his head resting against the seat of a chair. He sits completely still, head flung back on the chair's backrest. His chest doesn't move up or down; he has no semblance of life or rhythm inside him at all. Almost like a doll, exactly like a doll. His eyes aren't shut but they appear clouded by a somber gray and not of the vibrant blue he had the morning before.

Luna finds Prompto's face a bit jarring in contrast to the rest of his body. Every inch of it looked just like real flesh and blood. It's so detailed that Luna could see lines run across his artificial skin and freckles scattering along his cheeks and nose. Luna tugs at his hair and runs her fingers in between the strands. It was a lot softer than what Luna expected.

"Are you awake?" Luna calls out as she taps his chest. Nothing. No response came from him. He doesn't even twitch. Luna calls out again, raising her voice. Again, nothing. Luna scratchs at her forehead and tries one more time, cautious not to yell and wake any of her handmaidens. Nothing at all. Prompto was lifeless.

"Prompto?" Luna says.

Prompto springs to life and his previously clouded eyes light up, glowing a neon tone. Upon waking up, Prompto twitches around, confused and perhaps a bit afraid. After a bit, he seems to have regained his composure and settles back into a comfortable position with his head held upright and his back to the chair.

It seems that every time Luna calls out his name, Prompto is quick to answer. 'Prompto Argentum' had become quickly attached to his new name. In truth, Luna finds herself embarrassed by its reflection of her own uncreative nature, yet she's filled with pride whenever Prompto urges her to call him by name. A little piece of herself that she has passed down to him.

"Good morning," Luna says.

"Good morning," Prompto repeats, his hair ruffled and a scarf draped over his legs.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I think so? I don't really feel too different."

Luna laughs, which inspires a confused glance from Prompto.

"It time for breakfast now, so let's hurry downstairs," Luna says and, again, Prompto shoots her a look that is equal parts innocence, naivety and confusion. "Breakfast is a sort of morning ritual, I supposed you could see it that way. So, don't be surprised if I come over every morning to call you down for breakfast."

"Oh, okay, sure," Prompto says. "Do I need to bring anything for this?"

To that, Luna laughs. "Just yourself is fine."

 

|||

 

The two sit at the dining table with Prompto meticulously eyeing Luna and seemingly making a mental note of every one of her movements. A Luna flips her hair out of her face, Prompto copies, trying to push away hair that wasn't there. As Luna takes a fork in her hand, Prompto plays around with his. As Luna runs her fingers along the soft tablecloth, Prompto does exactly the same.

The awkwardness eats away at Luna, just as it had done yesterday, and she knows she won't be able to stand it much longer. Luna rests deeply within her own thoughts and without thinking, she lets out a frustrated growl. Prompto jumps up, startled, something that seemed to happen a lot whenever Luna made even the slightest movement or she raised her voice a bit higher than normal. But Luna's mission was to make Prompto feel comfortable, so she had to stop. Stop and realize that Prompto doesn't understand human behaviors quite like she wishes he did.

"Apologies," Luna says. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was just deep in thought, I suppose."

Prompto's eyes are wide, filled with fear, but he makes no whimpers or protests and only allows himself to shake his head in dismissal. His eyes, however, refuse to lock with hers.

Now that she has his attention, Luna thinks, it's the perfect time to get at least a few answers out of him, instead of letting the silence manifest itself again.

"Prompto?" Luna says. Prompto's head jerks up in an instant. "It's slipped my mind, but, do you require food? Require food to function, that is."

"No, not really," Prompto says. "I think High Commander Ravus was supposed to give you a box."

Luna scoffs at her brother's title. "He did, he did give me a box."

"Yeah, well, that's supposed to have some crystal-type thingies in it," Prompto says. "That's basically the magic that I feed on."

"I think I put the box in the kitchen, hold on," Luna says. She gathers her skirt and stands up from her seat. Prompto copies. He stays close behind Luna, keeping one hand gripped tightly around Luna's wrist.

_To the left of the dining room, it's the first door._

Luna has always known it to be a kitchen, but as Prompto sways his head around non-stop, taking in every inch of the room, she feels that it resembles more a labyrinth instead of a kitchen. To him at least, he must've viewed it as that.

The box of 'food' sat squarely on a table in the corner of the kitchen, hardly visible unless Luna squints her eyes. Luna steps closer to the box, a bit wary. It could've been anything and that anything was probably anything but food.  _Who knows what kind of dirty tricks Niflheim has up their sleeves. You can never take anything they give you at face value._

Luna slips a knife out from a knife block and poked around at the box. She keeps her arms a safe distance from the box, expecting it the explode if she hit it too hard. After a bit of stabbing, Luna pulls off the tape holding the box shut and opens up the flaps.

Supposedly, what is inside are some 'magic crystals' that fueled Prompto's body. These crystals, if they could even be called as such, are definitely not that. Instead, the looked more like pouches with some shiny, crushed powder inside it, almost like sugar. It isn't white like sugar, though, and instead it shines a vibrant tint of red.

"Are you supposed to swallow it?" Luna asks.

"I don't know, actually," Prompto says and Luna swallows a heavy amount of spit sitting in her throat. "I think I'm supposed the rip the bag first, then eat it. Hopefully, I don't mess this one up."

Prompto plays around with the pouch. He manages to get a good grip on it and tears a small hole in the right corner, just big enough to get the mysterious powder out. Luna and Prompto exchange some worried glances. Then, Prompto pours a bit of the powder into his hand, looking at it with one eyebrow raised. He looks back at Luna, waiting for some sort of non-verbal approval. Luna nods, a bit hesitantly, and watches as Prompto pours it into his mouth.

Prompto freezez. His eyes look empty, just for a split second, before lighting up again, appearing to shine brighter than before. His head shakes along with his arms and legs and Luna swears by the Six that she heard his teeth chattering. Soon after, his whole body twitches, a shiver rippling through his spine as if Shiva herself had suddenly entered the room. 

"Are you alright?" Luna says.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, don't worry! Actually, I feel a bit better now," Prompto hums, seemingly having regained his composure. "I kinda felt like a shockwave running through my body."

Prompto's words echo about in the kitchen, before fading out into another bit of cold silence. Their awkward breakfast has been upgraded to an awkward breakfast without a table and or chairs.

One good thing about all the silence was that it leaves Luna  time to think. And think she does. She thinks carefully about what she can do to uphold her personal, little promise of making Prompto feel more at home, because, as of now, it was too awkward to call home. He already appears pretty comfortable in the manor, aside from the extended lengths of time where he simply _refuses_ to say anything. But he isn't at home in the province of Tenebrae, in this world. He hasn't seen the rest of Tenebrae like Luna has. Not just Tenebrae, the rest of Eos, for that matter. For however many years, this boy probably hasn't even seen all of Gralea, the only taste he could get was the dimmed sunlight that shone in through cracks in the walls of Zegnautus Keep.

Prompto deserves to feel free. He deserves to experience what Luna has because, for all her pressuring years of political babble and duty, even Luna has had the chance to be free. Even Luna, as rare as it was, finds time to run away from the Astral Festival early on a Sunday night and slip away to Noctis's favorite fishing spot. Even Luna, even if it was once in a blue moon, prances around Galdin Quay and lets her feet sink into the water and her dress get ruined as it soaks up the salty, sandy air. Even Luna finds time for Noctis's silly ramblings about high-quality lures and fishing seasons, and different species, and –

And that's when an idea hits her.

"Prompto, do you," Luna starts stumbling over her words. "Want to go somewhere today?"

"We've already been around the whole manor," Prompto tilts his head, twiddling around a fork while holding it backward.

"No, I was more referring to outside. I want to show you more around Tenebrae," Luna says.

From across the table, Prompto doesn't speak, but his eyes widen and he aggressively shakes his head up and down. So 'yes' it was.

"I'm to assume you've never been to an aquarium before, have you?" Luna says. "I can ask one of the handmaidens to take us there. It's a bit of a drive down, but I feel it's well worth the wait."

"Aquarium?" Prompto mimicks in one long, drawn out and excited breath. "Sounds cool."

Luna hasn't been to this aquarium in well over 10 years, but she remembers it fondly as a pretty sight in a bustling town, far away from the manor and all of her responsibilities. " _A bit of a drive down"_ might actually be an understatement since it usually took a while for any vehicles to make it up or go back down from Fenestala Manor. And Luna worries the car ride might make Prompto feel uneasy.

At the very least, Prompto has become more willing to showcase his excitement than yesterday. Prompto is, a bit to Luna's surprise, in fact, very excited and it made that emotionless and melancholy boy from the day before seem like a far-off stranger. It made the Prompto of now look like a stranger from that lifeless doll he was that very morning.

From the kitchen, Prompto slips out past Luna and already makes his way to the foyer and out the front door. Luna swears she can hear him humming a little tune as he bounced about.

"Wait, Prompto! You have to put some clothes on before we leave," Luna yells.

Luna giggles to herself. She won't tell him, but Prompto's _odd_ attitude and childlike curiosity certainly makes her happy. And she hopes that Prompto is happy too.

 

|||

 

_"I've never seen that man's face before."_

_"Is he a relative of the Oracle's? They look pretty alike don't you think?"_

_"His coat looks a bit like the Kingsglaive, doesn't it? Maybe he's a Lucian."_

_"Do you think Prince Noctis sent him?"_

Initially, it hadn't been Luna's goal to attract attention to the two of them, but being an important political figure and spiritual messenger made it impossible to avoid a couple of curious glances over the shoulder. Luckily for Luna, the people of Tenebrae have always been kind and welcoming in her presence, so a quick visit to the aquarium wasn't doing any harm.

More often than not, people stare at Prompto and not Luna. Luna glances down, but it didn't seem like any of his metal body was showing. No, it can't  be that. It isn't that, in fact. It was something far more simple. There she is, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, the Oracle and former Princess of Tenebrae, fingers laced together – so Prompto won't run off into trouble – with some boy that no one had ever heard of. Him, a total stranger in the eyes of the Tenebraen people, and the Oracle being seen with a younger boy was certain to spark some unseemly rumors. _"I didn't know the Oracle had a boyfriend,"_ Luna hears one man whisper. _"I thought she was dating Prince Noctis,_ " another man replies; his hushed voice couldn't shy away from Luna's ears. _" You don't think she's cheating on him do you?"_

Luna coughs and adjusts her coat. It's a lovely peach-colored trench coat that covers another one of her usual white dresses, tight at the top with a loose and flowing skirt that drags along the floor as she walks. Prompto's outift is the exact opposite, his being mostly in black, more fitting for what an heir to the Lucian throne would wear. It's eye-catching, watching the two walk alongside each other as the night sky and the moon that glowed alongside it. A bit too eye-catching, honestly, and the two stuck out like a sore-thumb among a more colorful and modestly dressed crowd.

"Come on, let's go inside," Luna urges, half-sighing. Still busy with his own thoughts, Prompto stares at the outside of the aquarium.

Standing in line to buy tickets is even worse. Prompto clings onto Luna like a small child, his fingers digging into the fabric of her jacket. Even though he's taller than her, he tries his hardest to make himself feel small and avoid all the piercing glares that everyone shoots at them.

Even the receptionist lady has a cold look on her face. She must've whispered something under her breath but it was too muted for Luna to hear it. It's probably a good thing she did because even though Luna was never violent by nature, she became so irritated by all the chattering that she might've asked Prompto to punch a hole through the wall for her.

Once the receptionist hands her and Prompto their tickets, Luna flashes her a stilted smile and walks in, dragging Prompto by the arm behind her.

Luna takes a pause and dusted off the skirt of her dress. A brief moment where she could catch her breath.

The inside of the aquarium remains just as she remembered it, from when Ravus and their mother had visited on Luna's ninth birthday. The inside is dimly lit, and the walls are painted with a dark navy in a pattern that mirrored the ocean. The color of the walls contrast against bright neon signs overhead each of the sections of the aquarium. When Luna tilted her head up, it was like she was underwater and looking up above, much like the photo's she'd seen of the mystical ruins of Steyliff Grove.

"Where should we- huh? Prompto?" Luna jerks her head around, but Prompto is nowhere to be seen.

"Prompto?" she calls out again, though her cries drown out among the rest of the chatter. "Prompto?"

_He couldn't have wandered far,_ Luna thinks. Prompto is a lost puppy without her, so why did he decide to leave?

Luna scans the crowd for Prompto's bright blond hair. His black peacoat isn't going to stand out much in a dimly light room, anyways. The aquarium isnn't crowded on a Monday afternoon and Luna could disregard any of the brightly-clothed people that caught her eyes.

Luna wanders over to a blue neon sign  _"Lucian species"._ Underneath the sign, a dark-clothed figure with recognizable, fluffy blond hair illuminated by the soft glow stands. There he is.

Just as Luna tries to catch up with him, Prompto continues to saunter around the exhibit, unsure of what to focus his attention on. To the left, it seems he finally found a water tank that caught his attention and he presses his gloved fingers against the clear glass. Prompto gets in closer and presses his face against the glass, his little huffs of breath leaving clouds on its surface. His eyes beam with delight and his fingers trace every one of the fishes movements.

"These are types of fish from all across Lucis," Luna says. "That one's a golden Lucian carp."

Prompto quickly fixes his eyes on the golden fish. He watches carefully as the lights in the water tank reflect back off its scales. Perhaps, it's comparable to the shining stars in the night sky. Regardless, Luna could see that Prompto's completely captured by the sight. His eyes dance around, restless among all the new lights and colors. Every single time, Luna takes the time explain what it was and where it came from.

"Luna, you really know a lot about this stuff," Prompto hums.

"It's all just things Noctis has told me," Luna's face twists in surprise, a bit shocked that Prompto dropped her name. She blushes. "He's all too excited to talk on and on about his new catches and how-"

"Noctis?" Prompto cuts in.

"Prince Noctis of Lucis, he's a close friend of mine and he's quite into fishing so," Luna says. "He talks to me a lot about these kinds of things."

"Lucis, you mentioned that before," Prompto echos. "What is it?"

"The great kingdom of Lucis, you can go by train from Tenebrae," Luna says. "I'm sure I can find a reason to take you one day."

Prompto's face softens up. His mouth is slightly visible underneath the neon lights. Shadows and colors that cling to the lines and creases in his face. A smile, a humble smile. And that's plenty enough to tell Luna that Prompto likes that suggestion. He wants to see Lucis someday; another promise she's willing to keep.

"Sure," Prompto finally chimed in, prancing along happily with so much bounce in his step he was practically jumping.

As they walk along, Prompto would stop every minute or so to look at any fish that catches his eye.  _"That one's a vesper gar,"_ Luna explains and adds on about one time when Noctis was fishing for one and accidently fell into the water.  _"That one's a nebula salmon,"_ Luna comments and Prompto replies saying how beautiful its scales were. They make their way to a different section of the aquarium at this point and a giant number one overhead with a bold neon sign reads  _"Native Tenebraen species"_ in hot magenta.  

It's hard for Luna to keep up with Prompto through all his excitement and, frequently, she finds herself huffing for breath. But, Luna is happy, she's keeping up with her promise and she could deal with any sort of exhaustion if it meant letting Prompto have a bigger taste of what it's like to be alive. Alive and away from Niflheim.

 

|||

 

When the two of them step out of the aquarium, the air feels cool on her skin and Luna's ears start ringing from all the noise that was inside. Luna's head is pounding and her eyes ache from all the neon signs inside the aquarium. Prompto seems perfectly fine, still just as preppy as he was after eating, or more accurately, ingesting that mystery powder. Luna decides it was a good time to take Prompto around the less remote and more populous area of Tenebrae, down below the isolated mountain tops where Luna has become used to spending most of her days.

Prompto briefly opens his lips but then shuts them soon after without so much as a peep.

"Did you want to say something?" Luna said, her eyes doing all they could to look benevolent. Prompto shook his head 'no'. Not an answer Luna was satisfied with.

"Ah, well," Prompto starts. If Luna's eyes aren't deceiving her, she could've sworn his face was pinker than before. Androids couldn't blush, could they? Maybe her eyes do deceive her, but, regardless, his shaky tone of voice already spells 'bashful' without so much as a blush. "I just wanted to say I had fun, that's all."

"Then say it," Luna says with a smile. "Never be afraid to speak your mind. And I had fun today, too. Thank you for agreeing to come along."

"Well, I wasn't gonna say no, that's for sure," Prompto adds. "It not like I could say no, anyways."

"You can say no to anything you don't want," Luna huffs. "Remember what I said yesterday. Always remember that no one can force you to do things you don't want to do. You can choose to do whatever you wish as long as you're with me."

Prompto replies with a quiet 'mmhmm' and nods.

Further down the road the two go. It's a small shopping lane, filled mostly with small businesses. It isn't often that the Oracle would come around, though every once and while, Luna enjoyed a quiet walk in the Tenebraen night, accompanied by only the hushed whistling of the wind and the lovely moonlight. And the shopkeepers were always plenty friendly to the Oracle, even if they were a bit overbearing.

Luna hears the ring of a bell, followed by a little _"whoa"_ from Prompto. Next thing she knew, Prompto has his hands pressed against a shop's glass window, wide-eyed, as he watches a woman scoop ice cream into a cone from beyond the glass.

"Can we get some?" Prompto pleads.

"It's food, there's no point if you can't eat it, now isn't there?"

"Please, it looks really pretty. All those tiny crystals that she put on top of it."

Those 'tiny crystals' being candy sprinkles and they could even be bought for a few gil at any sort of convenience store across all of Eos. But it's special to Prompto, so Luna decides not to ruin that for him. Even still, Luna scours her pockets for change only to find very little; that was just asking to be robbed.

"Do you really want it?" Luna sighs.

"You said I can choose whatever I want, so I chose that stuff," Prompto smirks and Luna retorts with a look that was somewhere between angry and disappointed. 

"Alright, well, I'll be back out in a second. Wait here for me," Luna sighs. "Any kind of ice cream that peaks your interest?"

"The pink one, the one the lady was holding," Prompto says, smiling at Luna's approval. "That one looked pretty!"

 

|||

 

There aren't too many big parks around this part of Tenebrae that Luna could show Prompto. Prompto likewise seemed just fine playing around in her garden. Luna, on the other hand, sighs in exhaustion at Prompto's morbid curiosity at every little thing and needs a place to stop and finish her ice cream. The ice cream that Prompto was making her eat. _"Well I can't eat it, but you can! So, like you eat it, but for me, y'know?"_ Prompto's cheery voice echos in the back of Luna's mind. It's not too bad, but she would've prefer vanilla, if she's going to be honest with herself.

There stands empty bench along the park's trails. Luna sits first on the bench, her skirt almost getting caught on the armrests. Prompto follows after, watching as Luna licks away as her ice cream that melts trails of strawberry down her fingers and the cuff of her sleeve. For a September afternoon, the wind blows oddly cold and it feels more like early December or January. Half of the sky was filled with clouds and Luna and Prompto sit in a patch covered in the shadows of some towering trees. A shiver runs down her spine.

Luna waits. She waits and waits, hoping for Prompto to finally speak first instead of being urged by her. That's a bit of wishful thinking on her part; if yesterday was any indication, Prompto's hard rule of _'don't speak until you are spoken too'_  outweighs any awkwardness he feels by sitting in utter silence. Luna's certain to get him out of the habit, it's just a matter of how to do it.

"Prompto," Luna finally gives in. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"Do you know why the Empire sent you here?"

"I was sent to protect you."

"Are you sure that's why they sent you?"

Prompto tilts his head down.

"No, I-I," Prompto mumbles. "I'm not really sure of anything. My life's all blurs and stuff and I can't really remember much aside from the trip to the manor. Even that's a bit hazy though." Prompto's voice trailed off.

A worrying response no doubt, but Luna isn't surprised. The playful, yet menacing look the chancellor flashed her was enough to tell her that the Empire had some bigger motive at hand and that Prompto was intended to be more than just a peaceful gift. Seeing him now, however, Prompto  doesn't have a menacing bone in his body and Luna feels just fine with trusting him. He wasn't like the slimy chancellor, at any rate.

"Ah, well, there's not use worrying about that then," Luna says.

Luna still haa to be careful; there always had to be some sort of catch to Niflheim's benevolent gifts. For all she knew, Prompto could turn on her at any moment. But could she call that the real Prompto? Does Luna even know who the real Prompto was? He seems to be far more than just an emotionless machine, yet it could all be some sort of elaborate act to lull Luna into a false sense of security. 

"Luna," Prompto whispers and Luna's ears perk up in an instant, like a puppy heading the call of its owner. Luna's heart is pounding and her stomach feels heavy. Prompto's voice sounded grave, even if it was just a whisper. Is something about her behavior suspicious? Did she say something out loud? She swears by the Six that she lets none of her thoughts slip out through her mouth.

"You're ice cream's dripping," Prompto says, tone flat. Luna looks down, the melted ice cream leaves drops of pastel pink against her dress. It was quite noticeable, the wet patches on her lap growing sticky and a bit gross. Prompto takes a napkin in one hand and wipes the sides of Luna's hand.

"Thank you, Prompto," Luna hums, trying to drown out her giggling with her words. It's to no avail. Here the Oracle was, sitting on a park bench, lap full of melted ice cream and giggling like a schoolgirl.

And moments later, Luna hears the most wonderful sound in the whole world. A small chuckle, out from Prompto's lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact but the aquarium is based on a real aquarium that I went to forever ago when I was in Denmark (it's called Den Blå Planet) and it had super pretty neon signs and colors on the inside.
> 
> Also, just a couple details about Android!Prompto, he's mostly based off the robos in Persona 3 and Persona 4 Arena. He def has the same finger guns as Aigis. i also imagine that his body looks rather similar to Aigis with a very human face and a less human body. No horse hoofs though.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an edit: last chapter i mentioned the month being july because i headcanoned luna's birthday as being in july. as i recently found out, [ luna actually has a canonical birthday!! ](https://twitter.com/RedMakuzawa/status/864701768709545984) which happens to be september 4th (not too far i guess??) so i've edited that detail.
> 
> this chapter's content warning: body image issues

What could've been another chatty car-ride was made extremely dull and tedious when Prompto crashed to sleep as soon as he sunk into the car seat. Out like a light. Luna didn't recall having ever seen someone fall asleep so quickly, but as soon as Prompto fell asleep, he fell deep. And just as before, he looked rather peaceful.

He was already wearing his black peacoat. But, just for good measure, Luna took hers and placed it over him like a blanket, watching intently, though a bit uneasy as he slept without movement.

The two of them ended up arriving back at the manor around evening, with Luna having to carry a sleeping Prompto on her back. She wasn't quite sure what urged him into such a deep sleep, but the busy buzz of the aquarium or just being around other people was probably what it was. Prompto might not have been willing to say it, but it seemed like tight spaces and a lot of people set him off, scared him, and also exhausted him. Prompto wasn't used to such an overload of new sensations and sights, Luna figured. 

Whatever it was, Luna was ready to put him down at any moment. She was carrying him piggyback-style and his legs constantly slipped out of her grip. The weight of his body balanced awkwardly over her back. His metal body was pretty heavy, after all.

Getting through the front door and into the foyer was the easy part. Getting up the stairs was not.

Luna could've forced him to wake up and walk on his own; she knew that well. If she had bothered to read the manual Prompto gave her, then she'd know which button would wake him right up. Luna simply shook the thought out of her head. She could do many things to Prompto if she wanted to but she wasn't going to. Something about forcing Prompto's body to do things out of his control felt so wrong. _He's just a machine,_ she knew, _he's just a machine_. _And machine's exist to follow the will of their masters. They have no independent thoughts or feelings._

But Prompto wasn't like that. He did think, he did feel. He does think, he does feel. He was a machine and yet at the same time he wasn't.

He was too human to be a machine.

 

|||

 

Prompto was awake when he should've been sleeping. He was asleep before; he knew that much. By the looks of it, Luna must've taken him back to Ravus's room. She must've also cleaned up the room too because it wasn't this tidy the last time he saw it. The clothes he scattered on the ground were neatly piled on a chair and the clothes hangers weren't there anymore either.

Prompto was awake when he should've been sleeping. He sat idly as the silence ate away at him. Every moment of the day replayed frame by frame in his mind. The car ride, the aquarium, the fish, the cold, pink spheres decorated with thousands of tiny crystals. The conversation in the park.

 

>  " _Prompto, I've been meaning to ask you something."_
> 
> _"Yeah?"_

>   _"D_ _o you know why the Empire sent you here?"_
> 
>  
> 
> _"I was sent to protect you."_
> 
> _"Are you sure that's why they sent you?"_
> 
> _"No, I-I'm not really sure of anything. My life's all blurs and stuff and I can't really remember much aside from the trip to the manor. Even that's a bit hazy though."_

 

Prompto took both hands and slapped himself on the cheeks. Gods, he wasn't really sure what came over him. 

 

> _"My life's all blurs and stuff and I can't really remember much aside from the trip to the manor. Even that's a bit hazy though."_

 

Luna didn't scold him for saying that so, she was convinced. He did it, he convinced her. _Lied_ to her.

(Lying to her about his past was better than confronting it after all, wasn't it?)

Something inside Prompto was all too proud of lying. He had written it off long ago, that he could never lie. Not because he didn't think people could lie; he knew very well that people lied to him all the time. Not because he didn't want to; there were so many times things would've turned out better if he didn't tell the truth. But more because Prompto felt he couldn't lie, like it was physically impossible to force his body to do so. But now, here he was, lying about something which to Prompto was a small victory.

Something inside Prompto also felt disgusted at himself. In reality, he was kicking himself in the gut for lying to Luna. If anyone deserved to be lied to it wasn't Luna.

Well, half-lied.

He still wasn't certain why the Empire had decided to send him away, that part wasn't a lie. There were many possibilities as to who could have decided that. 

The doctors never liked him. Whenever they picked him apart to replace his limbs, he squirmed for dear life. Prompto didn't like the way they handled him, with their nimble fingers digging into every crack in his body. Prompto wanted to scream. He did scream. They held him down as he shook violently. He wasn't gasping for breath but he was gasping for something; something close, yet disconnected from his body. They covered his mouth to muffle his piercing cry and soon after they turned off his voice box so he couldn't speak.

Prompto learned to scream in silence because it was the only way they would let him.

His instructor didn't like him either. His specialty was long ranged artillery, something they had found out after years and years of training him in melee combat only to receive the same failing marks over and over. Android units were expected to succeed in both, otherwise, they weren't considered conditioned enough for the battlefield.

It ended with the doctors taking Prompto in again and picking apart his limbs once again. When they were done, his fingers carried an unfamiliar weight that wasn't there before. If he rattled his arm enough, he could hear the clinking of metal touching together. Just a bullets sounded when they fell to the floor. They turned his hand into a gun.

Rebuild him until he didn't look human anymore.  _You are a weapon, you are a weapon. And a weapon is supposed to obey its master._

Maybe it was Verstael's idea to kick him out. Maybe it was Verstael himself who was tired and frustrated that his first prototype was an utter failure. Maybe it was Verstael, who was frustrated his creation couldn't discard his desire for human emotions and shook like a nervous wreck whenever they spoke face to face. Prompto had made the mistake of calling Verstael 'father' instead of 'sir', once and only once. _"You're not special,"_ a unit of his squad had growled in his ear. _"You shouldn't disrespect him by calling him 'father',_ " another unit told him. Of course, it was disrespectful to Verstael. Because 'father' implied the two of them could be considered family, something an android was not supposed to consider.

He didn't remember what happened afterward but he knew it had to have been the final straw. Now, they knew for certain that he wasn't worth keeping around anymore.

Prompto expected Verstael was going to do the same thing to him that he did to the rest he deemed 'defective'. After the first reprogramming didn't work, the second reprogramming didn't work, the treatments didn't work, there was no option left but to pick him apart until he was nothing but a pile of metal scraps. And then he'd be thrown out for good. No more Prompto.

Verstael called Prompto in one morning after his training session with a smile on his face. That was the first time in years Prompto could recall seeing him smile.

Prompto didn't understand how he could be smiling because the decommissioning of an android unit was supposed to be a sad and angry occasion. Sad because Verstael knew Prompto could've turned out better. Angry because he didn't.

"You very well know what this is about, don't you, boy?" Verstael said.

Prompto nodded.

Verstael picked up a stack of papers – his progress reports – and clipped them together. "Then I don't need to waste any time at all with this. Listen well."

Prompto nodded again.

"Don't think about turning in your weapons because we still have plans for you yet. How would you like a chance to visit our dear Lady Lunafreya in Tenebrae?" he asked. "It's not a difficult task, all that you need to do to succeed with the mission is to protect her."

Prompto said nothing and nodded. When people spoke, Prompto learned, they often meant much more than the words they used and Prompto was trying to piece together what exactly Verstael meant. _Lady Lunafreya,_ he's never heard of this woman; she could be an enemy. _Tenebrae,_ a possible area of conflict and Prompto could be injured. _Not difficult,_  Prompto wasn't sure how true that statement was.

But a mission was still a mission and a mission meant that you could still be made useful, that you could live another day. Why Verstael was giving him another chance was beyond him, yet it wasn't his place to question Verstael's commands. He did as he was taught: _you do not object, only obey._

Knocking. Prompto's ears perked when he heard knocking from outside the room.

"You may enter."

A tall man with messy burgundy hair and a dusty hat walked into the room. His footsteps were akin to some kind of dance. Playful in a way, almost like a child. His outfit was unlike anything Prompto had ever seen, very different from the outfits the guards wore. The outfit was a whole mess of things, really, but 'outlandish' was probably the best way Prompto could describe it.

"Ardyn Izunia," Verstael said as the tall man bowed.

"An honor to meet you," Ardyn said. 

Prompto bowed, keeping his head low. "You as well," he replied in a strained way.

Outlandish was a good way to describe the man's voice and tone too. Very unlike the guards or the doctors or the instructors. Unlike the new High Commander. Unlike Verstael as well. He clung to each word, drawing out every syllable. Light and cheerful. So much so that Prompto found something to be oddly supicious about it.

"Oh, right, er, Unit 05953234, sir," Prompto finally said after waiting for a beat too long.

"Yes well, Zero. You don't mind if I call you that, do you?" Ardyn said, stroking Prompto by the chin. Actually, he did mind. A lot. "I, of course, am here to escort you to Tenebrae-"

"Partially," Verstael cut in. "Since you're taking your leave, I'll be there to see you off as well."

_That's odd,_ Prompto thought, though never dared to say out loud. _I thought you were incapable of caring about me._

One dreadful and cramped car ride later and Prompto had found himself in a new world with a new name and a new friend. So maybe, some part of it all was worth it if it meant that Prompto could be here instead of Gralea.

The wall clock in Ravus's room ticked. Prompto couldn't fall asleep and he wasn't going to manually force a shut-down; he hated whenever the doctors did that to him.

He got up and started to pace around the room again, taking in the sound of the wind from outside and letting himself sit around in his own thoughts. There were a lot of little details that Prompto never noticed before, like fine chips in the room's wallpaper or golden picture frames that looked like they would collapse at any minute.

On a nightstand next to Ravus's bed was a small picture in a cracked frame. There were three people: one was a young girl with a white dress and a frilly headband. Stood next to her was a taller boy with medium, messy hair and a grumpy-looking expression. Behind the two of them, a woman cupped her hands on both of their shoulders with a wide smile that revealed some of her teeth.

Prompto didn't recognize the woman, though the young girl reminded him of Luna. The had a similar smile and hair color, though the girl's hair was kept loose with blunt bangs as opposed to Luna's ponytail. The boy wasn't very familiar though his hairstyle bore a striking resemblance to Commander Ravus.

He looked attentively at the picture, his eyes falling to focus on the boy as he noticed skin peaking out of his shirt. His neck was exposed and so were his arms. His hands didn't show joints and pivots like Prompto's did. His neck's color matched exactly that of his face and there were no lines that left traces of seams and stitching. He looked back to the girl and thought of Luna again. The way her chest rose and fell with every breath she took, every freckle and scar that graced her arms. He thought of himself, just for a moment, with the same pale, rosy skin covering his whole body and a brush of pink on his cheeks as blood rushed to his face. 

Prompto was drawn back to reality when he looked down at himself and the way the fabric of his shirt clung awkwardly to his limbs. There were a few bumps where stray wires and tubes stuck out. His neck was entirely uncovered. Vulnerable. Exposed. He ran his fingers across his neck, digging the tips into a small part where his wiring came loose.

_Wait, shit._ Prompto didn't usually curse, not even to himself. But his instructor always did it, so after a while, he figured it must've been fine to do so. This time, it was something worth cursing.

He had forgotten to take off his clothes for the night. He was used to sleeping without any clothes on, in fact, he was used to doing everything without any clothes on. Yet, he was hesitating. Maybe this time, Prompto thought, maybe he wasn't going to sleep without clothes anymore. Ravus had a few clean-looking night shirts and he wasn't going to mind if Prompto borrowed them, would he? Prompto shook his head. No, of course, he wouldn't.

A quick change into Ravus's night clothes and he'd be done with it. He slipped off his shirt with ease, thanks to the fact that this one didn't have any pesky buttons, though his fingers fumbled to loosen the buckle of his belt. As he pulled down his pants, a loose string caught on the joint of his knee.

Naked. He was used to being naked so it wasn't a big deal, right? In fact, he never would've thought of it as being naked before, more like a suit of armor he could never take off.

Naked, that word felt so wrong. Why did it feel so wrong?

He swiftly opened the wardrobe door and began scanning for an outfit. The inside of Ravus's wardrobe had a tall mirror that gave Prompto a good look at his body. It had a few smudges and chips along the edges, but, aside from that, it was pretty clean. In the reflection of the mirror, a face was staring back at Prompto. His own. He didn't recall having seen his own face very much. It didn't look _bad_ , for say, but it wasn't exactly what Prompto expected. His fingers tousled his hair. A bit icky, but overall quite soft. He pulled his face closer in to see little dots along his face and he traced his index finger around them, rubbing his face to see if they'd come off.

Once he found a plain shirt and some comfy sweatpants, he was quick to shut the wardrobe door and crash back to bed.

Prompto sunk his head into the pillow. He closed his eyes and pressed his right hand against the left side of his chest. No thumping, no beating; not unexpected but still disappointing. Prompto kept his eyes closed. Maybe, just maybe, if he dreamed about it enough, he'd have the same fluttering and thumping feeling in his chest that everyone else had. That Luna had.

 

|||

 

His eyes couldn't see anything but he picked up sounds just fine. Then came the brush of a nimble finger across his cheek and, at the very least, he knew he was awake. Now he'd just have to wait for his eyes and the rest of his body to get back in motion.

Waking up was a disorienting experience every time for Prompto. Because he wasn't very good at it. Which puzzled him endlessly, since waking up was something he was told he could do with no effort. No one else seemed to have trouble seeing or hearing when they woke up again. And yet Prompto—of course, he had to be the exception. Every time he woke up, it took him a while before he could properly process everything again; first came his sense of hearing and touch, that was nearly instantaneous. It usually took a minute or two before his eyes could register anything and then another minute before his voice box worked. Waking up, supposedly the easiest thing in the world and Prompto still found a way to be horrible at it.

"Prompto," Luna whispered.

"Yeah?" he said, voice incredibly raspy.

"Good morning again," she giggled. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," Prompto said.

"A pleasure to hear," Luna smiled. "Well, enough chatter, we should go down for some breakfast."

 

|||

 

In the dining hall, the two sat just like yesterday, except this time, Prompto has his energy pouches ready. And, just like before, the two sat in silence.

"Er, Prompto," Luna started. Prompto's head jolted up, perhaps a bit too quickly since Luna was started by his sudden movement.

Luna averted his gaze and Prompto matched her with a curious look. "We're going to be going out of Tenebrae on Sunday. We're heading to Insomnia, the capital of Lucis."

Prompto shrugged. He didn't say anything to prompt that comment, did he? So, instead of replying, he shot her another curious glance.

"Very well, we will staying for about five days and be meeting up with Noctis," Luna said. "You remember when I spoke of Noctis, yes?"

_Of course I do._ "Er, I think so. The Prince of Lucis, right?"

"Exactly. It was his fifteenth birthday not long ago and I've been invited to join in for a celebration. And I can't leave you behind, of course, so I thought it'd be nice for you to join in as well. Besides, I think it'd do you well to see outside of Tenebrae."

_Birthday? Celebration? And what's supposed to happen at those?_ Prompto was vaguely familiar with the concept of these festivals, though it wasn't something that ever crossed his mind before. Humans tended to treat their birthdays as something special, though Prompto was the exact opposite. A birthday was something that everyone else had, it wasn't unique by any means. So why was there any reason to treat it as something special?

"And he won't mind that I'm coming too?" Prompto scratched at his neck.

"Of course not," Luna hummed. "He'd rather appear stand-offish to others but in reality, he'll be more than pleased to have your company."

A smile lit up on Prompto's face. "Alright then, sure! I'll be happy to come!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think android prompto is interesting to write because his world-view is limited to what he knows and therefore small, insignificant things mean a lot to him. not only that but i guess sometimes he just doesn't understand human things and it's cool to have a character that doesn't quite know what a birthday is and what not.
> 
> next chapter: a few familiar faces join the fray.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if i continue to update at this rate, this fic won't be done until 2019. whoops.
> 
> anyways, thank you peeps sending those lovely messages on this fic!! it means the world to me!! now enjoy more robot shenanigans.

Over the next couple of days, their morning routine of breakfast had become less and less uncomfortable. Prompto was more willing to talk, even if it was just a little bit at a time. A good start, if anything.

This morning, however, their morning routine was thrown a bit off balance when Prompto was no longer in his room. All the same, Prompto's room didn't look any bit usual. Clothes scattered messily about and the bedsheets virtually untouched ( _he probably feel asleep in the chair again, didn't he?_ ).

"Prompto?"

No reply.

So Luna exited the room and tried again.

"Prompto?" 

Nothing. Luna continued throughout the manor until she was drawing closer and closer to the foyer. Standing right on their grand staircase, she was about to call for his name again until her eyes fixed themself on the blond boy sitting in one of the chairs, fiddling about with his shirt and jacket.

Prompto was ready at the door before she had gotten out of her nightgown.

It was Sunday, Luna remembered. It didn't seem like Prompto had forgotten Luna's comment about traveling to Lucis.

"Oh, Luna," he said, far too excitable for this early in the morning. "Good morning."

Luna gave out a yawn and lazily waved at him. "Good morning."

He was dressed up nicely. A button-up shirt, white with pinstripes. An honest effort to do up the buttons. The pants he was wearing were part of the whole ensemble too, same color and same design. It suited him.

Ever since Luna had encouraged Prompto to scavenge through Ravus's old clothing, he'd become enraptured with wearing all sorts of outfits. Truthfully, it was incredibly weird considering that Prompto didn't even need to wear clothes in the first place. His body temperature could be perfectly regulated by a switch so it wasn't like he worried about getting cold. Modesty certainly wasn't an issue either since there was nothing to cover up. Perhaps Prompto just wanted to look cute every once in a while.

He did look  _very_ cute, Luna thought.

"You've a good eye for fashion, I've noticed," Luna said.

"Fashion," Prompto repeated. "Right."

Luna approached him and adjusted the collar of his shirt. "It means the clothes suit you nicely."

Prompto turned his head to the side and muttered something to himself.

Briefly, Luna glanced over at a clock hanging in the foyer. "How long have you been awake for?"

"Before the sun came up, I think," Prompto said. "I couldn't really tell, those big pieces of fabric were covering the windows."

Luna giggled. "Do you mean the _curtains_?"

"Oh yeah, those things," Prompto said.

"You seem ready to go," Luna said. "Did you stop by the kitchen already, Prompto?"

"No, no I didn't," Prompto said. "I wanted to wait for you first."

 

|||

 

Any moment now, Luna was expecting him to arrive. It was the right time, _yes_ , of course it was. The clock hadn't lied, had it? No, it wouldn't.

Luna was restless, I'd only because Prompto also seemed a bit restless, uneasy. The growing silence, with only the ticking of a clock to fill in the gaps. It was all too reminiscent of their awkward breakfasts.

Prompto jumped. The doorbell had rung and Luna quickly leaped off her seat to open the door. Prompto followed after her.

"Finally, you're here," Luna said. "Bless the gods, you've arrived safe."

An intimidating man stepped inside the front doors of the manor, with a displeased look on his face. He donned the familiar black coat of the Kingsglaive, uniform but different enough that he could still stand out in a crowd. His displeased eyes softened up when his gaze met Luna's and his frown managed to loosen into a smile. He tensed up again when he looked back at Prompto.

"Who's he?" Prompto whispered as he hid behind Luna and clung to her peach trench coat. Though due to his height, he was still visible to the man's eyes.

"Nyx Ulric. He's our escort to Insomnia, " Luna said before turning towards Nyx. "Pleasure to see you again, Nyx."

Nyx bowed his head slightly and tipped his finger to Luna. Afterwards, his gaze fixed on Prompto once more. Luna jerked her head towards Prompto to see him staring at Nyx. His expression was a bit hard to read; his eyes were neutral if a bit narrowed and, if Luna looked closely enough, she might've noticed Prompto biting his bottom lip. Nyx, on the other hand, carefully eyed Prompto, scanning him from top to bottom.

"A new friend of yours?"

"Yes, his," Luna brushed away Prompto's fingers and pulled him in front of her. "His name is Prompto Argentum."

Nyx held out his hand. "Prompto, huh? Pleasure."

Prompto stared blankly at Nyx. Nyx furrowed his brow and Prompto's face tensed up. A few times, Prompto opened his mouth every so slightly but withdrew before saying anything.

Thirty seconds passed and then Nyx drew Prompto's hand in and gave it a good shake, with Prompto looking a little distraught after the fact and yet not protesting any of it. 

"Pleasure," Prompto echoed. 

Luna coughed and drew her attention back to Nyx, who was a bit uneasy. "Are there any other Glaives waiting with you? I'd be surprised to hear you were sent alone," she said.

"Crowe's waiting in the car," Nyx said, voice in a low, wolf-like growl.

"Right, Crowe." 

Just as she finished speaking, Crowe Altius stepped inside the front door. Unlike Nyx, Luna didn't even have the right to call her an acquaintance. The vague recollection of a name she had heard once before, but nothing more than that.

"Lady Lunafreya?" she said.

"It's a pleasure, Glaive Altius," Luna said. Luna bowed her head slightly; she could feel a bit of heat gathering on her cheeks. Maybe, if she was lucky, Crowe wouldn't have noticed it.

Crowe cleared her throat. "Just Crowe is fine," she said.

She bowed and that was the end of that, much to Luna's dismay. Crowe turned back around to Nyx and started chatting with him, dropping a mountain of names and very few did Luna recognize. Her banter with Nyx, Luna couldn't help but hear. They weren't exactly _quiet_ people, Luna had quickly come to find.

Breaking away from Crowe, Nyx leaned back against the front door of the manor. "I hate to cut this little party short, but His Highness is waiting."

"And he's the most damn impatient person I've ever met," Crowe cut in. The three of them laughed and Luna looked over to see an uncomfortable Prompto.

"Alright, let's hit the road."

 

 |||

 

Once they hit the freeway to Lucis, that was when Luna noticed Prompto's face lit up with that passionate fire of his.

Luna, personally, didn't find the scenary that interesting, she'd seen it all too often on her diplomatic visits to Lucis. 

But Prompto, on the other hand—Prompto's face was pressed again but the glass of the car window. Nyx and Crowe had probably made some snide remark about it, but Luna was too focused on Prompto to really care. He was enjoying himself and that's what truly mattered.

"Prompto?" Luna whispered as she gently tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"I thought, well maybe now would be a good time to give you a little present," Luna said. "I've had this old thing for a while, and I feel you can make much better use of it that I could."

She didn't have much on her at the moment, aside from a little cream-colored purse. Luckily, it was just big enough for Luna to hide Prompto's gift.

"A camera, it's called," Luna said, pulling out a small camera from her purse. "A good device for storing pictures and memories that we would otherwise forget about."

Prompto took it in hand and spent a minute looking upon it fondly. He fiddled around with a few of the buttons as if he was taking a photo. Luna wondered if he realized it wasn't turned on or if he was doing that intentionally.

"Um, thank you," Prompto said. "But, uh, what made you think it was something I needed?"

Just before Prompto can retract that statement, – because based on his face, he was probably worried he had offended Luna or something – Luna flashed him a smile.

"I just thought it'd be appropriate for you to have one. To create some fine memories along the way."

 

||| 

 

_"I just thought it'd be appropriate for you to have one. To create some fine memories along the way."_

It was a simple statement and Prompto easily understood every word. Separately, at least. Put together, Prompto wasn't so sure.

He truly did wonder about Luna's motives sometimes, as to what could've possibly made him warrant her kindness. Nothing really, he knew, considering the only reason he was here in the first place was duty.

He held the camera tightly with two hands, as though it would slip away from him at any moment.

It was moments like this when Prompto realized pretending to be human was harder than he thought. He knew Luna knew he wasn't human. But Nyx didn't know, nor did Crowe.

Prompto knew vaguely about the outside. He's seen it before when he came to Tenebrae, he'd seen it before at the manor, he'd seen it before at the aquarium. But this was the outside beyond the outside. There was a lot about all this he couldn't even begin to process. Like just how vast the outside truly was.

Prompto realized that he had no idea what it meant to be alive, he really didn't, and he wasn't sure if he could convince Nyx or Crowe that he was truly alive.

Nyx said something about "pulling over", though Prompto was too busy being lost in his own thoughts to catch all of it.

Slowly, the car came to a stop off the main freeway. Prompto didn't really see any reason why they had to stop, the car was working fine just moments before. Luna, Nyx and Crowe promptly all decided to exit the car, so Prompto did the same.

He lined up the camera towards a tree. Neither Luna, nor Nyx, nor Crowe seemed to pay him any mind. So he did it, snapped the shot, slightly taken aback by the sudden noise the device let out.

And just then and there, on the screen of the camera, the tree was trapped inside of the camera forever. How the camera had taken the tree and transfered it into the camera was beyond him. Even more curious, the tree was still in front of him after he had taken the shot.

Still, he looked at the tree fondly, both the one in reality and the one on his camera. The three others weren't looking, so it would be alright to wander a little off track, Prompto figured.

He slowly approached the tree, the one in reality and not inside his camera. He took one glove off and pressed against its truck. The metal of his fingers, the bark of the trunk, two things that weren't meant to be together, Prompto knew.

The tree was alive, just as humans were alive, just as Luna's dogs, Umbra and Pryna were alive. Just as Luna, Nyx and Crowe were alive.

And just as Prompto wasn't.

A cramp in his chest bubbled. The pain was there and at the same time, it wasn't. Of course, there was no pain, there was nothing there to feel pain. Prompto continued to rub his chest. No, there most certainly was pain. A sword that was anchored into his ribcage, or perhaps an iron weight edged into his lungs.

The cold part of his mind whispered to him that it would've been better just to stay in Niflheim. He didn't require feelings when he was Niflheim. He was able to forget he even had them to begin with.

The other part whispered at him to stay, to cherish every moment he spent outside of Niflheim as though it was his last. Prompto chose to listen to that voice instead. With every moment he spent near Luna, he was closer and closer to finding out what he truly wanted to know. How to be alive.

He snapped another photo. One of Luna, Nyx and Crowe playfully chatting away with a background of the gas station. Prompto was thankful; again, they didn't seem to notice the noise of the camera. Now he had an image of Luna, Nyx and Crowe trapped inside of the camera, just like the tree had also been.

_I can keep this forever if I want to,_ Prompto thought. And with that, he smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tagged this as romance but i think it's more one-sided than anything. prompto developing a crush on luna, that's basically what i wanted to get across.


End file.
